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Job 39:26-30
26 Doth the hawk [nets] fly ['abar] by thy wisdom [biynah], and stretch [paras] her wings [kanaph] toward the south [teyman]?
27 Doth the eagle [nesher] mount up [gabahh] at thy command [peh], and make [ruwm] her nest [qen] on high [ruwm]?
28 She dwelleth [shakan] and abideth [luwn] on the rock [cela`], upon the crag [shen] of the rock [cela`], and the strong place [matsuwd].
29 From thence she seeketh [chaphar] the prey ['okel], and her eyes [`ayin] behold [nabat] afar off [rachowq].
30 Her young ones ['ephroach] also suck up [`ala`] blood [dam]: and where the slain [chalal] are, there is she [huw']. KJV-Interlinear
26 'Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars, Stretching his wings toward the south? 27 'Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up, And makes his nest on high? 28 'On the cliff he dwells and lodges, Upon the rocky crag, an inaccessible place. 29 'From there he spies out food; His eyes see it from afar. 30 'His young ones also suck up blood; And where the slain are, there is he.' NASB
The hawk is a reference to the class of birds we know as hawks, eagles, falcons, vultures and so forth.
Of these birds, they can fly the highest of all birds, they have extremely keen eyesight, which allows them to see at far distances, up to 40 miles. They have eyesight, which can only be matched in humans by use of powerful binoculars. At an altitude of many thousands of feet, the eagle can see its prey and then dive at speeds of nearly one-hundred miles an hour. Their victim has no chance.
They are migratory birds. They live in nests that are almost completely inaccessible, high on mountain cliffs or canyon walls.
The eagles have been known to carry off small lambs, and then take their prey back to their hungry young, who consume their food voraciously.
This class of bird is the scavenger of the world. Where there is dead, there they will soon be. As mentioned in this passage, the eagles, vultures and such, know of battles even while they are still being fought, and they can see the dead and dying from many miles away. And when the battle ends, even before it is over the birds begin their task of cleaning up the battle field.
They know their abilities. They know their mission. And they complete them with ease.
Of all of the animals mentioned, Job and all those present were well aware of their characteristics. The ancient peoples were not ignorant of the ways of nature. God told them nothing new. God told them nothing that they did not already know.
But God emphasizes here that it was not man who defined the characteristics and instincts of nature, but all of these animals received all of their personalities and abilities from God, and from no other source. No animal received its attributes by accident. And all animals possess almost as many different attributes as there are different animals. They do not all possess the same exact abilities.
Just as there exists many tens of thousands of kinds of plants, animals, birds, fish, viruses, bacteria, and every other living thing. All of these could not possibly come into existence with so many different variations, characteristics, attributes, personalities, instincts, and so forth, by sheer accident.
All came into existence by design. And that design came exclusively from God and from no other source.
Likewise, man may have many inventions of gadgetry to his credit, but man has never invented life, nor the means of sustaining it. In fact, everything that man attempts to manage, usually gets bogged down in bias, favoritism, politics, or greed, and sooner or later turns into disaster.
Are not the repercussions of refusal to develop energy resources for the last thirty years, being felt now? And such is the magnitude of the problem which we face today, that the solutions will not be found for decades to come.
Who is going to pay the price for those past decisions? And how long will it be before people finally recognize their mistakes and vote out the political thinking that has controlled the government for decades. And yes Virginia, I am speaking of the liberal thinking politics that has dominated for a very long time. But where is the popular trend of thinking going? Liberal. And that is why solutions will be delayed, and we will all be paying the price for some time to come.
But do not get upset if you are a liberal thinker. The conservatives have dropped the ball as well. The liberals are detached from reality, and the conservatives have lost their nerve and have adopted some screwball ideas as well. And all have forgotten their roots in truth.
With these current standards of thinking, solutions will not so easily be found.
But then this is exactly Gods point in these past chapters. Man knows so much, but only to discover that man knows so little. Unfortunately it takes man too long to discover his error, and with that delay, suffering continues for a long time.
Jobs friends have had their say for many chapters. They have held their beliefs for the many decades of their life. And they will not change their minds until they actually hear the spoken voice of God. And even then Job will be ordered to make sacrifices in their behalf, as they will seemingly not do it themselves.
Too often man will not change until the hurting becomes too great to bear. And even then, God has to bring about some huge disaster (war, famine, inflation, disease, earthquake, economic depression, etc.), before man will change.
Man is a stubborn breed. And stubbornness is usually the big hurdle over which man cannot seem to get. And that usually means that man will suffer for his lack of flexibility. And that means that most of mans problems are of his own making.
God asks these questions. Of all of these very common animals, and very simple abilities, how many has man invented, how many has man duplicated, how many has man sustained? And that answer is, even of the simplest of things in life, whether animals or the winds and lightning's of nature, man has absolutely no power or control.
All man can do it screw things up. And that comes easily through arrogance.
And that is evidenced by the chapter after chapter of irrelevant comments that Jobs friends have made, just as it is evident by the decades of decisions humanity makes even in our current day. And at some point in our lives, we are all guilty of stubbornness or procrastination in our refusal to change ourselves.
The real question is, will we stick to our stubborn ways, or will we change? And by change, will we change to truth, and not just another set of ridiculous beliefs?
